One of two satellites used to track dangerous storms during hurricane season has died, leaving forecasters at the National Hurricane Center with just one eye in the sky at the start of 1989 season.
"There is just one now and it's in the middle," said Miles Lawrence, one of six hurricane specialists at the center south of Miami. As a result, forecasters cannot see as far or as clearly as they once did, Lawrence said.The six-month Atlantic hurricane season began Thursday.
"Right now, we don't have as much data out over the Atlantic as we would like to have," said center director Robert Sheets. "If that one (satellite) were to go out, I think that would be a major problem for us."
Forecasters rely on geostationary satellites to provide uninterrupted pictures of the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans during hurricane season, which lasts through Nov. 30. Those pictures often provide critical early warning of developing storms.